


Mr. Harrington's First Gray Hair

by Rosen_Tea



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Bullying, Flash cares deep down, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Head Injury, Hurt Peter Parker, Mr Harrington needs a day off, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Whump, Peter is embarrased, Platonic Relationships, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Decathlon Team, Protective Mr. Harrington, Protective Ned Leeds, So does everyone else, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-10-31 20:30:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17856476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosen_Tea/pseuds/Rosen_Tea
Summary: Mr. Harrington is a wreck. He had been fidgeting and fussing over Peter the whole time. Ned's never seen him look so pale…and sweaty. "Mr. Parker," he tried. "Peter! Yeah, okay, right. MJ, give him to me!"Ned's eyes widen as Mr. Harrington stands, hooks his arm under Peter's legs, and actually LIFTS Peter into his arms.The Decathlon team is stunned for a moment, including Peter. "Uh, Mr. Harrington…Mr. Harrington, you don’t have to--"Mr. Harrington hurriedly shushes him. "It's gonna be alright, Peter, just hang on!""Uh, I wouldn’t do that," MJ said, standing up. Her voice was urgent, but she too looked taken aback by the sight before her. "We can get the Nurse, her office is a few halls down--"But Mr. Harrington is near hysterical. He holds Peter close to his chest, as if he were holding a baby. Ned glances sideways at Flash. Normally, he would have a cracked a humiliating joke by now. But Flash only stares silently at Peter, his eyes clouded with…guilt?OR,Peter saves Flash from a serious injury, but gets himself hurt in the process. Mr. Harrington flips out.





	1. Chapter 1

Ned glared as he watched Flash crumble up another sheet of notebook paper into a ball.

He glanced next to him at Peter, who hasn't looked up from his notes. Peter must have heard the crinkle of paper, but he doesn't react. Ned has to give him props for remaining nonchalant for so long.

Today, the Decathlon team had all gathered in the Library to discuss future tournaments and practice hours. After everything was all sorted, Mr. Harrington allowed the students to hang out in the Library for the rest of the period, as long as they were doing something productive. Ned quickly seized the opportunity to work on his Social Studies Homework. If he finished the worksheet in time, he'd be homework free for the rest of the day!

Peter, however, had a lot to work on, both homework and make-up homework. Thanks to his Spider-manning, Peter wasn't exactly as on time with his assignments like he used to be. But Peter didn't seem to mind so much.

Being Spiderman was important, as Peter often told Ned. And if Spiderman wasn't there to look out the little guy, who would?

And Ned understands, really, he does. But he'd be lying if he didn't admit that he often worried for Peter's education. He's smart…like, super smart. If Peter wasn't constantly skipping out of stuff, he'd be the top student at Midtown Tech. And what about Graduation? Would fighting bad guys affect that too?

It was a good thing that teachers liked Peter. Somehow, they always seemed to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe that's one of the reasons Flash always picks on Peter, and no one else. Maybe. He didn't really know the reason. All he knew was that it bugged him.

Flash grinned a little as he aimed his ball of paper and chucked it across the table. It bounces off of Peter's head, and Flash snickers. Peter looks up with a flat expression, but says nothing as he moves the ball of paper to the side with his pencil and resumes working. This had been happening on a loop for the last fifteen minutes or so.

If it didn't go unnoticed, it wouldn't matter, because Flash bullying Peter was pretty much common knowledge. Most of the Decathlon members were talking and murmuring quietly amongst themselves while Mr. Harrington was busy chatting up another teacher across the room, oblivious as ever.

Flash flings another ball of paper, but this time his aim is way off, and hits Abraham instead, who sits at Peter's right. Abraham lifts his eyebrows, but the twinkle in his eyes is unmistakable. Before anyone can do anything, Abraham picks up the ball of paper and chucks it right back at Flash, who squeals and flinches as it nabs him right in the ear.

Ned snorted and Peter made a sort of wheezing sound before covering it up with a cough.

MJ finally glances up her book and shoots Flash a disapproving look. Or, what Ned assumed to be a disapproving look. It was hard to tell with her. "Hey, mind keeping it down? This is a library."

"B-But..he.." Flash stammered, pointing at Abraham's smirking expression.

MJ sighs and returns her focus to her book, twirling a single strand of curly hair around her finger. "Don't make me have to discipline you or something. It'd be embarrassing for both of us."

"But--but...oh, forget it." Flash pushes back in his chair and leaves the table, muttering to himself.

Ned smiled as he refocused on his homework. A moment or two later though, he felt Peter stiffen next to him. He looked up to see Peter staring hard at something across the room. Fear and excitement fluttered around in Ned's stomach. Something big always went down whenever Peter had THAT look.

But when Ned followed Peter's gaze, all he saw was Flash standing near one of the bookshelves, apparently looking for something to check out. A smallish man stood on a ladder a few inches away, reaching for an overhead projector that sat on top of the shelf.

Ned frowned in confusion, his eyes sweeping around the room for any other possible dangers. Was Peter seeing something he didn't? "Peter," he began to whisper. "What--"

It happened so fast.

The man on the ladder let out a sharp cry as the projector began to slip from his hands. Quick as lightning, Peter jumped up and slid across the table, sending papers and notes flying in all directions. Shouts and groans filled the air, but Peter ignored them all as he slid off the other side, ran a few steps, and shoved Flash, hard.

Ned's mouth opened, but no sound escaped. As Flash went crashing down to the floor, the projector dropped like a stone, hitting Peter right on the head. Then Peter dropped.

At first, no one said a word, or moved an inch. The room was dead silent. And then it wasn't.

"Mr. Harrington!" Cindy shrieked as the room exploded with movement. She stumbled and tripped out of her chair as she scrambled to get the teacher. "Mr. Harrington!"

At some point in his life, Ned figured he must have been bitten by a cheetah or something, because one moment he was sitting, and in the next, he's kneeling down next to Peter. How did that happen?

"Oh, dude. Oh man, oh man…" There's blood. There'sbloodther'sbloodthere'sblood. "Peter…Peter!"

Someone rolls Peter over, and he groans. Oh, shit, he's alive. He's alive, and he's awake! Oh, wait, he's awake…crap, that's gotta hurt. Oh, man, Peter!

MJ props up Peter's head with one hand and reaches out with the other. "Someone give me a something for his head! Some kind of cloth, hurry!" Everyone's talking at once, so she has to shout. It's scary listening to her shout. Someone frantically rips off their flannel and thrusts it in MJ's hand.

"Stay still, okay?" MJ says to Peter as she presses the flannel to his wound to stop the bleeding. "Stay still."

Peter blinks several times and blinks up toward the ceiling. Or, he would have if it weren't for the many faces crowded around him.

"Peter, oh my gosh!"

"Peter! Are you okay!" Abraham shouts. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Peter blinks a few more times, then looks over at Ned and squints. "Hey," he says in a weak voice, his eyebrows knitting together. "What's wrong, buddy?"

Ned wheezes, tears springing into his eyes. He didn’t know if he was laughing or crying. "Dude, you just got clobbered!"

Peter is quiet for a moment. "Oh, yeah."

"Parker?" says a quiet voice. Ned is vaguely aware of Flash standing over his shoulder.

Peter squints at him next. "Dude, there's so many of you."

More footsteps thunder towards them. "It was an accident, I swear!" a frantic voice says.

"Peter!" Mr. Harrington pushes his way through the circle of students and kneels. "Oh my Lord. What happened?"

"It was so sick!" Charles says, his voice loud and excited as always. "We were just talking, y'know, and then Peter just slid across the table like James Bond and saved Flash's life!"

"I swear it was an accident!" the smallish man repeated, a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. "I-It just slipped, a-and the kid came out of nowhere, and--"

"You could have killed him!" Sally said.

"Hey, no, no, no it's okay," Peter said, struggling to sit up. Everyone jumps on him.

"Hey, no no, lay back down!"

"Peter, stop!"

"You just hit your head, genius," MJ said, still keeping the flannel to Peter's head. She places her other hand on his shoulder in attempt to push him back down. Her voice is almost back to its usual neutrality, but Ned doesn't miss the slight worry buried within. "Running off won't help this time."

"No, I'm okay, seriously," Peter says, waving a hand. Despite everyone's protests, he manages to sit up fully. MJ mutters something and shifts her position behind Peter. She re positions her hand on his shoulder to steady him while still putting pressure on his head.

For taking such a wicked blow to the head, Peter seemed to be really chill about it. Dazed, but chill. And then Ned realized…oh. Super healing. His best friend was a superhero. A head injury is still a head injury, but…yeah, he was going to be okay! Right!

But nobody else knew that, so Ned should pretty much stop smiling now.

Peter twitches a smile, then blinks a few more times. He stares at a spot in the ceiling, and his eyelids flutter. "Oh, man," he sighs, slumping backwards into MJ.

Crap. Still, a head injury's a head injury. "Peter!"

 

"Someone should get the nurse!" Cindy said fretfully.

 

Mr. Harrington is a wreck. He had been fidgeting and fussing over Peter the whole time. Ned's never seen him look so pale…and sweaty. "Mr. Parker," he tried. "Peter! Yeah, okay, right. MJ, give him to me!"

Ned's eyes widen as Mr. Harrington stands, hooks his arm under Peter's legs, and actually LIFTS Peter into his arms.

The Decathlon team is stunned for a moment, including Peter. "Uh, Mister Harrington…Mr. Harrington, you don’t have to--"

Mr. Harrington hurriedly shushes him. "It's gonna be alright, Peter, just hang on!"

"Uh, I wouldn’t do that," MJ said, standing up. Her voice was urgent, but she too looked taken aback by the sight before her. "We can get the Nurse, her office is a few halls down--”

But Mr. Harrington is near hysterical. He holds Peter close to his chest, as if he were holding a baby. Ned glances sideways at Flash. Normally, he would have a cracked a humiliating joke by now. But Flash only stares silently at Peter, his eyes clouded with…guilt?

Nah, it couldn't be.

"Mr. Harrington," Peter repeats, more insistent, but the man had already carried him out the door.

Ned and the rest of the Decathlon team are at his heels.

And, as luck would have it (Or Parker Luck as Peter and his Aunt would call it), the moment they moved out into the hall, the bell rung, piercing their ears.

Students who filed out of their classrooms were welcomed with a bizarre sight of a frantic Mr. Harrington cradling a student in his arms. The pale-faced man huffed and puffed as he jogged down the halls, squawking, "Nurse! NURSE!"

Peter squirmed a little in Mr. Harrington's grip, but there was little he could do at the moment. Ned truly felt sorry for him.

The Decathlon team members followed closely, exchanging various glances. They finally reach the Nurse's office, but to everyone's dismay, the lights were out, and a sign hung on the door. "Crap, she's out to lunch!" Charles exclaims.

"What now?" Abraham said.

Ned looks over at Peter. Peter glances back and shoots a look that practically said _Putting me down would be a great start._ Ned huffs a small laugh and Peter wrinkles his nose in his direction.

"Roger?" a voice called. Ned turns to see Principal Morita walking toward them. Peter moans, either from the pain or embarrassment. Ned thinks both. "What's going on here?"

Mr. Harrington has yet to catch his breath. "Peter," he pants. "Projector…"

"A projector hit Peter's head," MJ supplied helpfully. "We could use a Nurse if you've got one."

Principal Morita's eyes widen at the sight of the gash on the side of Peter's head. The blood had long since reached his dark green sweater. "Right. Judy. I know where she is, I'll get her."

He takes off running, but not before pointing at Peter. "Hang in there Peter, help's on the way!"

Peter in turn gave a tight-lipped smile, and his eyebrows arched downward. It was his ‘Yeah, man, sure,’ face, and it always made Ned laugh. Not today though.

All the while, Mr. Harrington nods to himself, muttering "Help's on the way" a few times under his breath.

Peter looks up at him. "Mr. Harrington." His voice is a little muffled due to his cheek being squished against his teacher's collared shirt. "You, uh…you can put me down now."

A small crowd had gathered by now. Some are giggling. Peter kicks his legs a little.

"Seriously."

Mr. Harrington does not.


	2. Chapter 2

A hand squeezed his with a stern firmness.

"Peter, you're not falling asleep on me, are you?" The question was half joking, half on the edge of panic.

Peter blinked twice and made an affirmative noise at the back of his throat. "Yeah yeah yeah, m'up. M'awake."

Mr. Harrington squeezed his hand again. "I mean it, Peter, I really--"

"No, I understand, really. But I wasn't falling asleep, I promise. I was just resting my eyes."

That earned Peter a weak huff. "Resting your--yeah, well I'd prefer it if you'd rest your eyes at home. Can't be too careful."

Peter's mouth formed a line, but he nodded. Really, he was feeling a lot better now, but he knew he had to play the part. He already raised a few eyebrows when he came in with a half-healed scar on his head. When asked about it, he quickly offered up the idea that maybe the injury wasn't as bad as everyone thought it was, under all the blood.

Admittedly, It wasn't his best excuse, but the adults seemed to buy it. Mr. Harrington sheepishly chalked it up to blowing things out of proportion in the heat of the moment, so…that helped? Eh, well.

Now he was lying on a cot, propped up by a few pillows. Mr. Harrington had pulled up a chair beside him and grabbed hold of Peter's hand, not once letting go. It was one of the most bizarre situations he'd ever been in--which was really saying something.

"Are you okay, Mr. Harrington?" Peter asked after a long pause. It was kind of a dumb question, seeing as Mr. Harrington was growing paler by the minute. The Nurse had given him a bottle of water to soothe his nerves, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

Mr. Harrington paused and stared down at him for a long minute. "What--you mean, am I--" He dropped his head, uttering a long wheeze that worried Peter. "Peter, I am not the one with a head injury, so _yes. Yes,_ I am fine…" He bit his lip, his foot tapping on the floor. "at least until your guardian gets here."

"Oh. O-okay then, cool." Peter glanced at Mr. Harrington's once crisp white button down shirt. A crease formed between his eyebrows. "I'm really sorry about your shirt." he nodded toward the ugly red stain he left behind. Mr. Harrington looked down. "Oh, it's…it's only a shirt, Peter. It's alright, don't worry about it. Now please, just… _rest._ " He hovered his free hand over Peter, as if it would keep him from leaving the cot. "But not too much! Obviously."

The final bell rung, signifying the end of the day. Buzzing conversations soon floated its way into the infirmary as students filled the halls outside.

"What you did was very brave, Peter," Mr. Harrington said with quiet earnest. He smiled despite his nerves. "Very brave, and very kind. Extraordinary, even. I couldn't be more proud."

Peter smiled a little. "Thanks, Mr. H."

At that moment, there was a sudden commotion out front. Mr. Harrington twisted his head around. "What’s going on out there?"

Thanks to his enhanced hearing, Peter knew exactly what it was, but to Mr. Harrington, he offered up a clueless shrug.

"Hey, you can't go in there!" said a sharp voice. The door that lead from the Nurse's desk office to the infirmary swung open, revealing a winded and red-faced Ned.

"Peter!" he cried joyfully. Peter's backpack was clutched in his hand. What a good bro.

Nurse Powell quickly rounded on him, grabbing his arm. "Young man, unless you have a--"

"No, no, Judy, it's alright," Mr. Harrington said, waving a hand. "Mr. Leeds can stay. He's a close friend." As soon as he said those words, more footsteps sounded against the floor. In seconds, the doorway was packed. Nurse Powell's lips pursed as the whole Decathlon team crowded around her, creating a tight space. She looked back at Mr. Harrington, eyebrow raised. "So I guess these people are all close friends too, huh?"

Peter stared, a little bit stunned. "Uh…hey guys!" He made to sit up more, but Mr. Harrington pounced on him. "Ah ah ah. Don’t even think about it." He gently pushed Peter back onto his pillow before he could get any further.

MJ casually stepped further into the room, and Nurse Powell ultimately threw up her hands and left when the other students followed her. Michelle stood above Peter and stared down at him, her expression unreadable. Then, she held up an index finger and lightly dragged it along Peter's thick bandage, which was practically huge enough to cover his right eyebrow. "Well, good news, Peter. You don't look like total crap, so…" She dropped her hand, meeting his gaze. "I guess we'll see you at practice next Wednesday."

Peter stared at her a moment before shaking his head. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'll be there, don't worry."

Michelle reached out and placed both hands on either side of his head, holding it steady. "A simple yes will do."

Mr. Harrington seemed to perk up at the sight of all his students, blissfully unaware of how awkward the room just became. "How nice of you all, checking up on Peter. He's fine, by the way, not to worry. Just a concussion and a scratch, really." He blew out a bit of air. "Thank goodness for that."

Ned visibly relaxed, despite being the only one in the room to know about his healing powers. Peter smiled softly at his tender-hearted friend. He hated making him worry.

"So, he's…fine?" Charles questioned, looking really confused. "Are you sure? 'Cause that was seriously gnarly back there. I mean, we all saw it, right?" The rest of the team either nodded or made sounds of affirmation, except for Flash. He stood awkwardly off to the side with his hands in his pockets, his gaze constantly shifting from Peter to the floor.

Weird.

"Uh…Peter's always kind of been a fast healer!" Ned offered up. "E-Ever since we were kids, Peter rarely even got sick."

"Then why did he call in sick for two weeks after that field trip to OSCORP last year?" MJ said, eyebrow raised.

Peter and Ned froze.

"Well, all that matters is that the injury wasn't too serious," Cindy said, inadvertently saving the day. "You do feel better, don't you, Peter?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," Peter said, still holding Mr. Harrington's hand. "Thanks. Thanks for coming, I really appreciate it."

Sally made a sound with her tongue. "So brave," she said, nudging Peter in the chin with her hand.

"Yeah, not everyone would voluntarily rescue Flash," Abraham said with unrestrained glee. Mr. Harrington sent him a reprimanding glare, and Flash suddenly grew very interested in the painting on the wall.

Charles nudged Peter. "When you come back, I'll show you a picture of me in a coma. Out of body experience, man."

"Oh! Speaking of pictures!" Cindy held up her phone. "Do you mind?" Before Peter could say anything, Cindy practically shoved her way past Mr. Harrington and crouched down by Peter's bedside. Grinning from ear to ear, she put her cheek next to Peter's and angled her phone. "Smile!"

The flash went off, and Peter blinked owlishly at the lingering spots that danced in the air. "Oops. Forgot to take off the flash. Looks good though!" Cindy said cheerfully.

Yep. This was definitely the weirdest day of his life. Just then, another figure appeared at the doorway.

Mr. Harrington raised his eyebrows. "Sir? Can I help you?"

Happy removed his dark sunglasses, his hand in his pocket. "I'm here to pick up Peter." Everyone but Ned turned their heads and stared at him incomprehensibly. Peter just grinned. "Hey, Happy!"

Happy dipped his head toward Peter, unsmiling. "You ready to go, kid?"

"Yep!" Peter grunted as he sat up, but Mr. Harrington pushed him back down, surprising him. "I'm sorry, who are you? Mr. Parker has exactly one guardian and you're not--"

"His Aunt sent me to pick him up," Happy said, sounding bored. "Chill out, relax. Chop chop, kid, I'm parked in a red zone."

Peter nodded, but Mr. Harrington pushed him back down again. "Mr. Harrington," he said, not knowing whether to laugh or groan. But Mr. Harrington wasn't alone this time.

In seconds, a good chunk of the Decathlon team either sat on the edge of his bed or stood in front of him, casting various looks of suspicion and doubt in Happy's direction.

And to his absolute shock, Flash sauntered up to Happy, his gaze almost accusatory. "Oh, yeah?" Flash challenged, looking Happy up and down with folded arms. "What's her name then?"

Happy raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression the same. "And just who are you?"

"Seriously, it's fine," Peter said quickly, finally wiggling out from Mr. Harrington's hold. He swung his legs over the side and made a mental note to stand up slowly. Granted, he was still a little dizzy, but he still managed to keep a firm balance.

The students stepped back to give him space to move, and Mr. Harrington offered his arm for Peter to grab. "Are you sure, Peter?" his teacher asked, his eyes screaming the words _Do I need to call security?_

"Yeah, Peter, seriously, who is this guy?" Sally said, and Happy rolled his eyes, hard.

"Oh, Happy? He's…he's um…" Peter paused, desperately thinking of a good excuse. "He's…my…Uncle!"

Everyone stared at Peter while Ned silently snorted behind his hand. "Your Uncle," MJ repeated flatly. "Really."

"Y-Yeah! On my Mother's side," Peter added quickly.

Happy made a sound that resembled a laugh, but thankfully played along. "Yeah. Can't you see he's got my chin?" His shoulders bounced as he let out a single genuine laugh this time. "C'mon, kid, seriously. Grab your backpack and let’s bounce."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Peter said, inwardly wincing at how high his voice cracked. As Ned handed him his backpack, Mr. Harrington walked over to Happy. "Well, this is quite the development! Hello, I'm Roger Harrington, I'm Peter's teacher."

Happy sighed deeply but shook Mr. Harrington's hand as he continued to ramble on. Meanwhile, the team crowded around Peter as he said goodbye to each of them. "Seriously, if you're in trouble, squeeze my hand twice," Cindy said in a hushed voice as she shook Peter's hand.

"No, it's fine, it's all fine, trust me," Peter whispered, offering what he hoped to be an assuring smile. He looked at Flash, who only stared back at him. Intently.

Okay, this was starting to creep him out a little.

"Sure. Just remember Stranger Danger Peter," Abraham said, clapping him once on the back.

Peter felt a laugh bubble up inside him. "Really, though, thanks, everyone. You didn't have to come down here, but you all did and--"

"Okay, time to go," Happy interrupted, stepping past the students and wrapping his arm around Peter's shoulder.

"Oh, okay. Bye, everyone. Oh, and Ned--"

"Tell him later."

"And Mr. Harrington, I really--"

" _Aaand_ we're gone!" Happy announced loudly as they quickly left the Nurse's office.

"Bye Peter!" Peter heard Ned call out.

As they marched down the hall, a girl with a microphone hustled up beside them. "Excuse me! Sir, excuse me! Hey, we’re with the Student News!" she said, gesturing toward a boy running beside her with a video camera in his hands. "We heard about an incident in the library, and we were wondering if we can get an interview--"

"Nope." Happy wasn't having it.

"But--"

"I swear, these bozos get younger every year," Happy muttered under his breath. Then, like he's done the action a thousand times before, Happy turned sideways and threw up an arm, giving both him and Peter a clear path to the exit. In no time at all, they descend down the school steps and make it over to the car.

"Now, what's this all about, hm?" Happy asked as Peter clicked his seat belt. "Why didn't you call your Aunt May to pick you up?"

Peter ducked his head. "May has an important shift tonight. I didn’t wanna be the one to pull her away, you know? I knew you were already close by, running errands for Mr. Stark, so…I just thought, you know?" Peter bit his lip. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

Happy shrugged as he started the engine. "Told you in the text, kid. The less time I spend in a designer shop choosing between fabrics, the better."

Peter let out a sigh of relief and sank back into his seat. "Thanks again, Happy, thank you."

Happy let out a grunt as he pulled out onto the road. Another thought entered Peter's mind, and he sat forward, placing his hands on either side of Happy's seat. "By the way--you're…not gonna tell Mr. Stark about any of this, right?"

Happy let out another chuckle. "Seems I don't have to. There's a certain photo circling around of a teacher carrying an injured student in his arms."

Peter fell back and groaned, his hands covering his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I lied. Kinda, but not really though XD This turned out to be longer than I intended, so this is gonna be a three-parter, basically. Thank you for all the wonderful comments and kudos! You guys are great, and I really just wanna thank you for taking the time to read this story. Means a lot!

**Author's Note:**

> Not done yet, part two will be out....er, soon-ish. This is my first time writing Peter Parker, Ned...pretty much anybody in the MCU. I love Spiderman Homecoming so much, and the fanfics are are amazing. I just wanted to chip in!


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